


A War Between Us

by LokianaWinchester



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: 1870s, AU mashup, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Historical, First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M, Pining, Prompt Fill, it's a fic that just drafts the situation but it's still complete in itself, post American Civil War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-05-18 12:35:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14852859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LokianaWinchester/pseuds/LokianaWinchester
Summary: AU mashup concept: Historic AU // Detective AU mashup for Stucky. Was supposed to be short but it turned out Not Quite As Short.





	A War Between Us

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The Anon On Tumblr Who Requested This](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=The+Anon+On+Tumblr+Who+Requested+This).



Bucky is sneaky. This is remarkable because his arm is bulky and not sneaky at all. But since he was in the war and lost his arm, years and years have passed and he is used to the new thing, attached to his shoulder, moving almost like a real arm. He is still not sure how it really works. It is new technology, but sometimes he wonders if magic exists and if it played a part in this.

But as already stated, Bucky is sneaky and that is important, because he is a detective. He is a private detective and people come to him for help. He was never big on helping people, really. Not since he lost his friend back in the war. Well, he is still not sure the other man is dead, but Bucky was injured and when he woke up and got his new arm, it was the enemy who had saved him. He could only assume, Steve was dead, because otherwise he would have come looking for him.

He worked for the enemy for a while after the war. Paying off his debt for the arm, they guilt-tripped him into it, but after that he went off to start his business. He is a loner. Steve is gone and he does not want human contact at all, because if he cannot have Steve, he wants nobody.

Bucky works case after case because he needs to, the job feeds him, but sometimes he asks himself why he even bothers with staying alive.

He wanders the town at night. Sometimes for the job, sometimes for leisure. Dimly-lit windows, every now and then a brighter one, behind it a fire, lead his way. Shouting and music echo distantly from a pub. But mostly, the night is quiet and Bucky relishes in that. Noises remind him of the war. The quiet also does, but the silence of the war was more oppressive. It was the silence of the dead; the silence of the living, barely daring to breathe.

Bucky works his jobs, but his heart is not in it, his heart was lost in the silence of the war.

Then he works a job for a woman, suspecting her husband of cheating on her. But he is not alone. He comes across another detective. He wants to be rude, ask him who he thinks he is, working Bucky’s job, but he stays quiet when the other man turns around.

His voice seems to stop working the second he sees the face of his rival. Bucky just stands there, mouth gaping open, eyes wide but he cannot move. He is aware of how ridiculous he must look but standing before him is Steve. Or at least somebody who looks exactly like Steve.

“Bucky?”

It is Steve.

“Fuck,” Bucky curses and throws himself at Steve, whose arms around Bucky have never felt so right.

“You died.” Steve sounded just as surprised as himself.

“No. I lost my arm though.”

“Fuck,” Steve agrees.

Bucky does not let go off Steve when he continues to speak.

“You’re a detective too? She hired you?”

“She? No, her husband in there thinks, she is cheating.”

“She’s not.” Bucky knows. He asked her, because he does not take cases for liars and cheaters.

“Neither is he.”

Bucky laughs out. It is the first time in years that he does. He did not lose his heart in the war after all. Steve is right there in his arms.

He starts crying. It is a wild roller-coaster of emotions for him. First laughing and now crying; it feels like his body lets out all the emotions he missed since the war, all the suppressed shit, Bucky buried so deep he thought it would never come up, but Steve has a way to reach so far into his soul with just a hug.

The reason is simple. Steve holds Bucky’s heart. And now he is whole again.

They go back to Bucky’s place. He lives in a tiny apartment that also doubles as his office. They have a lot to catch up on.

Steve is amazing. Bucky knew that, but it is more obvious to him now than ever before. He went looking for Bucky of course, but he never found him, assumed him dead. Built a life for himself after the war, tried moving on, finding friends, having lovers. Bucky’s heart protests at this information, but Steve was never more than a friend, no matter how much Bucky wishes he was. Steve tells him, he never found anybody. His eyes are wide, emotions clearly visible on his face as he tells Bucky how much he mourned his loss.

They are sitting on Bucky’s bed together until deep in the night, only a candle on the table in the corner shining a dim, flickering light across their faces until it is burned down. They talk and they touch. Neither of them can quite believe that the other is not dead. They are detectives, ex-soldiers in high ranks. They are as perceptive as they come but their instincts tell them what they perceive is wrong.

It takes Bucky hours until he is sure this is real. No dream or hallucination would feel so real, sound so real, last throughout the night.

This is real and Steve is alive. The situation reminds Bucky of earlier times, before the war, when they were less scarred, when they were sitting a few streets away from Bucky’s current home in their old flat. A disturbingly similar living situation, small, crowded.

Bucky was pulled back to his home town, where he had memories of good times. Steve was repelled by it. He could not face the memories of Bucky, moved to the neighbouring town, not too far and yet far enough.

It seems to be fate that they met again now. It seems to be fate that they reconnected. Bucky is not religious, but he is tempted to believe in a higher power now.

When Steve kisses him, Bucky sends out a prayer in thanks to whoever might be listening. Steve has held Bucky’s heart for years, but now Bucky knows, he does the same for Steve. He will protect it at any cost.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it :) Feel free to leave kudos/comments or hmu on tumblr with a prompt :)


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